Dell to release Windows 8 ultrabooks, tablets this year

Dell has confirmed that it is working on ultrabooks and tablets running Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system for release this year.

The struggling firm, which today reported a 22% drop in consumer sales in the second quarter of 2012, is pinning its hopes on touch-enabled Windows 8 to revive the flagging PC market.

Dell's chief financial officer Brian Gladden said in an investor call that the firm will join other manufacturers in riding the expected wave of attention around Windows 8 after it launches in October.

"You'll see new Windows 8 ultrabooks, all-in-one tablets and converged devices in the fourth quarter and headed into next year," he is quoted as saying by The Verge.

The language used by Gladden indicates that Dell intends to launch its own all-purpose tablet computers to rival Microsoft's own Surface Windows 8 range.

It argued that Microsoft is 'no good' at making its own hardware and the move could have a "negative impact" on the worldwide ecosystem for computing.

But Gladden is not so concerned. He said on the investor call: "As you think about Microsoft entering the space, clearly, as we think about it, we've spent time talking to Microsoft and understanding sort of how they're thinking about it.

"There clearly are opportunities for us, as Windows 8 comes through, in having differentiated products. And I think at the same time they have announced the Surface product that would be in the space, we will have products in there, and I think you'll see a diverse set of offerings that take advantage of what Windows 8 brings to market."